No abstract available.
Pensions*

With the accelerating process of population aging in China, social pension system has been rapidly developed, but its service quality remains poor. How to provide quality and efficient elderly care services has become a major livelihood issue of general public. The existing evaluation standards for service quality in the elderly care institutions vary greatly in terms of literature review and practice, and they have only single perspective and lack systematic review. Based on the three-dimensional theory of "structure-process-result" quality evaluation, this paper systematically compares and evaluates the evaluation index system and evaluation management mechanism of service quality of pension institutions in typical countries and regions, and provides an evidence-based basis for establishing an evaluation management system, which is in line with China's national conditions and covers evaluation principles, subject and object, regulation, rewards and punishments, and classifications.
Aged ; Aging ; China ; Humans ; Pensions ; Research

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between retirement preparation and depressive symptoms among Koreans 50 years of age or older. We used data from the 2009 to 2013 Korean Retirement and Income Panel Study (KReIS), which included data from the 365 baseline participants of 50 years of age or older. Our sample included only newly retired participants who worked in 2009, but had retired in the 2011 and 2013. To monitor the change in depressive symptoms according to retirement preparation, we used repeated measurement data. We measured depressive symptoms using the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CES-D) 20-item scale. In addition, we measured retirement preparation using a single self-report question asking whether the participant was financially ready for retirement. We evaluated relationship between retirement preparation and depressive symptoms after multivariable adjustment. Compared to subjects who had prepared for retirement (reference group), participants who had not prepared for retirement had increased depression scores (β = 2.49, P < 0.001). In addition, individuals who had not prepared for retirement and who had low household income had the highest increase in depression scores (β = 4.43, P < 0.001). Individuals, who had not prepared for retirement and without a national pension showed a considerable increase in depression scores (β = 3.02, P < 0.001). It is suggested that guaranteed retirement preparation is especially important for mental health of retired elderly individuals with low economic strata.
Aged* ; Depression* ; Epidemiologic Studies ; Family Characteristics ; Humans ; Mental Health ; Pensions ; Retirement*

OBJECTIVE: To study the characteristics of a sample of suicide victims from the Athens Greater Area using the psychological autopsy method for the first time in Greece. METHODS: We studied all recorded cases of completed suicide for the 2-year time period November 2007-October 2009 collecting data from the victims' forensic records as well as from the completion of a psychological autopsy questionnaire. RESULTS: 335 persons were recorded as suicide victims. We contacted relatives of 256 victims interviewing those of 248 of them (96.9%). The differences regarding sex, marital and employment status between our sample and the general population were statistically significant (p<0.001). The male/female ratio was 3:1. Comparatively more victims were divorced, separated or single and a greater proportion were pensioners or unemployed. 26.0% of the victims had history of prior attempts (64.4% once, 20.3% twice and 15.3% more times). 42.6% were taking psychiatric medication-significantly more women than men according to blood tests; 14.2% had been hospitalized in a psychiatric clinic the year prior to their death. 84.8% have deceased at the place of suicide and 15.2% died in the hospital; 80.3% died indoors and 19.7% outdoors. Men died primarily by hanging or shooting by a firearm while women preferred jumping from height instead (p<0.001). As many as 48.8% had expressed their intention to die to their relatives; 26.6% left a suicide note. CONCLUSION: Our study has shown that the psychological autopsy method is applicable and widely accepted yielding results comparable to the international literature. Specific parameters associated with suicide have been studied for the first time in Greece.
Autopsy* ; Divorce ; Employment ; Female ; Greece* ; Hematologic Tests ; Humans ; Intention ; Male ; Pensions ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Suicide*

PURPOSE: Laparoscopic Burch colposuspension (LBC) is a feasible surgical procedure for stress urinary incontinence (SUI). Initially, transperitoneal laparoscopic Burch (TLBC) operation was performed, but lately, extraperitoneal laparoscopic Burch colposus pension (ELBC) has been developed as a minimally invasive procedure. The aim of this study is to compare the safety and efficacy of TLBC versus the ELBC in treating the women with SUI. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively compared 13 cases TLBC with 30 cases ELBC performed between April 1995 and September 1998. Parameters of evaluation included operation time, length of postoperative hospital stay, postoperative catheter ization days, complications, and cure rate. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences between the two approaches in operation time and postoperative catheterization days. The postoperative hospital stay of ELBC was statistically shorter than that of TLBC. The mean times to follow-up were 51.2 months (TLBC) and 32.3 months (ELBC). At last follow-up, success rate were 11 of 13 (84.6%) of TLBC and 27 of 30 (90%) of ELBC. The postoperative complication rate were 8 of 13 of TLBC and 14 of 30 of ELBC. As results, ELBC and TLBC are considered as effective surgical method for stress urinary incontinence due to hypermobility. CONCLUSIONS: ELBC and TLBC are considered as effective surgical method for stress urinary incontinence due to hypermobility.
Catheterization ; Catheters ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Laparoscopy ; Length of Stay ; Pensions ; Postoperative Complications ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome ; Urinary Incontinence*

At the end of 2009, the number of registered disabled was 2,430,000 in South Korea. Of them, 90% originated from acquired causes such as diseases or accidents. Although disabilities are everyday problems that can be met by anybody, disabilities had been a problem that people tried to conceal. However, social recognition of the disabled has been developing with changes in the social environment. The government of the Republic of Korea has upgraded the policy on disabilities from benefaction to social security. The Korean government tries to support a variety of welfare systems for the disabled. Specifically, jobs for the disabled are going to increase from 3,400 positions in 2010 to 10,300 in 2011. The pension system for the disabled, introduced in July 2010, will be continuously supplemented. If a personal care assistance system for the disabled is introduced beginning in October 2011, the number of supporting personnel who will visit and provide nursing services to the disabled will increase from 30,000 at present to 50,000 at the end of 2011. Besides the above welfare system for the disabled, people should participate in the prohibition of discrimination against the disabled and the improvement of social recognition to the disabled. After that, social participation by the disabled will be expanded so that an integrated society based on the rights of the disabled can be realized in Korea.
Disabled Persons ; Discrimination (Psychology) ; Human Rights ; Humans ; Korea ; Long-Term Care ; Nursing Services ; Pensions ; Republic of Korea ; Social Environment ; Social Participation ; Social Security

BACKGROUND: Osteoporosis and attributable fractures are disruptive health events that can cause short and long-term cost consequences for families, health service and government. In this fracture-based scenario analysis we evaluate the broader public economic consequences for the Korean government based on fractures that can occur at 3 different ages.METHODS: We developed a public economic modelling framework based on population averages in Korea for earnings, direct taxes, indirect taxes, disability payments, retirement, pension payments, and osteoporosis health costs. Applying a scenario analysis, we estimated the cumulative average per person fiscal consequences of osteoporotic fractures occurring at different ages 55, 65, and 75 compared to average non-fracture individuals of comparable ages to estimate resulting costs for government in relation to lost tax revenue, disability payments, pension costs, and healthcare costs. All costs are calculated between the ages of 50 to 80 in Korean Won (KRW) and discounted at 0.5%.RESULTS: From the scenarios explored, fractures occurring at age 55 are most costly for government with increased disability and pension payments of KRW 26,048,400 and KRW 41,094,206 per person, respectively, compared to the non-fracture population. A fracture can result in reduction in lifetime direct and indirect taxes resulting in KRW 53,648,886 lost tax revenue per person for government compared to general population.CONCLUSIONS: The fiscal consequences of osteoporotic fractures for government vary depending on the age at which they occur. Fiscal benefits for government are greater when fractures are prevented early due to the potential to prevent early retirement and keeping people in the labor force to the degree that is observed in non-fracture population.
Costs and Cost Analysis ; Employment ; Health Care Costs ; Health Services ; Humans ; Korea ; Models, Economic ; Osteoporosis ; Osteoporotic Fractures ; Pensions ; Republic of Korea ; Retirement ; Taxes

BACKGROUND: Although one in two firefighters in South Korea have experienced work-related injuries, there are few studies which show the overview description on work-related injuries and its analysis regarding such causes. Therefore, we aimed to show the overview of compensated work-related injuries in order to serve fundamental data for establishing prevention policies on work-related injuries for Korean firefighters. METHODS: We requested the all claimed work-related injury data of Korean firefighters from 2010 to 2015 to the Korean National Fire Agency (NFA). The data from NFA including 2457 claimed cases was analyzed and we confirmed, 2154 approved work-related injuries for the kinds of job activities, cause of accident and type of injuries. Among 2154 approved cases, we analyzed more variables for the sex, age, and job duration of 1344 compensated cases through served text file on summary of accident. RESULTS: The Government Employees Pension Service (GEPS) recognized 2154 (87.7%) approved work-related injuries among 2457 claimed cases. The incidence of work-related injuries per 1000 firefighters was 9.8 persons. By region, the incidence of work-related injuries per 1000 firefighters ranged from a maximum of 14.5 to a minimum of 4.0. The most common job activity caused the accident was fire suppression (18.0%), followed by Emergency medical services (EMS) (17.5%) and training (10.7%). The most common cause of these accident was movement imbalance (30.3%), followed by falls (18.9%) and traffic accident (13.4%). In these work-related injuries, sprains and bruises were the most common type of injury (27.2%), and the most commonly injured body site was the upper and lower back (25.3%). Data from identified 1344 firefighters showed that 1264 (94.0%) were male and 80 (6.0%) were female. Age group was the highest in the 40s with 623 cases (46.4%), and job duration was the highest with 650 cases in 5–10 years (48.4%). CONCLUSION: In this study, we could obtain the preliminary data necessary to establish preventive measures, including the cause of accident and region with high accident rates. However, the number of applications for compensated injuries was very small compared to the frequency of injuries found in previous studies. The lack of appropriate treatment suggested that many firefighter injuries can become chronic. In this study, we suggest that it is necessary to introduce an injury monitoring system and improve the accessibility of compensated injuries. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CR318031. Registered 20 June 2018.
Accidental Falls ; Accidents, Occupational ; Accidents, Traffic ; Contusions ; Emergency Medical Services ; Female ; Firefighters ; Fires ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Male ; Occupational Injuries ; Pensions ; Sprains and Strains

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to review the compensation and development direction of occupational accidents including occupational diseases of workers who do not apply industrial accident compensation insurance. METHODS: We reviewed laws and related articles about compensation for occupational accidents of public officials, private school teachers and staff, soldiers, fishermen, and farmers, and compared each system and presented problems and solutions. RESULTS: Public officials, private school teachers and staff, and soldiers were provided compensation for the occupational accidents by the state in the form of pensions. Safety accident insurance for farmers was a form of voluntary subscription, but the individual had to pay the remaining premiums even though there were over half of the national burden. Although there were differences in the degree of professionalism in approval system of occupational accidents in the fields of public officials, private school teachers and staff, and soldiers, there was a deliberative body composed of experts, but fishermen and farmers were in fact considering deliberations on the compensation of insurance companies. Like the industrial accident compensation insurance, the prevention fund was not legally enforced in all fields. CONCLUSION: Processes for compensation for occupational accidents was somewhat similar. However, scientific and rational deliberations were difficult to achieve consistently. There was a lack of systems to prevent disasters and institutionalize rehabilitation for returning to work after a disaster. It is necessary to introduce a consistent system for reasonable compensation, disaster prevention, and return to work according to the risk level of the special population.
Accidents, Occupational ; Compensation and Redress* ; Disasters ; Farmers* ; Financial Management ; Humans ; Insurance ; Insurance, Accident ; Jurisprudence ; Military Personnel* ; Occupational Diseases* ; Pensions ; Professionalism ; Rehabilitation ; Return to Work

This study was conducted to assess the risk of breast cancer by menstrual, reproductive, and lactational factors in Korean women. A total of 210 women living in Seoul aged 30 to 60 with a first diagnosis of breast cancer from 2 teaching hospitals in Seoul, and 249 control subjects, randomly selected from the female pensioners of Korean Medical Insurance Company living in Seoul were interviewed. There was a increasing risk with the decrease of age at menarche, and the adjusted odds ratio(OR) of early menarche(age 14 years or less compared with over 17 years) was 1.61(95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 0.95-2.74). The longer the interval between menarche and regular menstruation, the less risk of breast cancer(OR=0.31, 95% CI: 0.16-0.60). The effect of these menarche factors were more prominent among premenopausal women. The adjusted OR for the second category(25-29 years old) of the age at first pregnancy and the age at the first full term pregnancy, compared to the reference category( 24 years old), were 0.52(95% CI: 0.30-0.92) and 0.58(95% CI: 0.32-1.06), respectively. The late age at the last full term pregnancy had significant protective effect (OR=0.29, 95% CI: 0.10-0.88), and the age itself was important rather than the interval between the first and last full term pregnancy. Factors related to breast feeding(BF) had protective effect consistently. Among parous women, in referent to no BF, women with 1 year of BF had adjusted OR of 0.34(95% CI: 0.17-0.68), while those with 1-3 years of BF had 0.35(95% CI: 0.18-0.67), 3-5 years had 0.29(95% CI: 0.12-0.74), and more than 5 years had 0.06(95% CI: 0.02-0.17). Age at menarche with regular cycle have stronger effect on especially pre-menopausal breast cancer among Korean women. Recent increase in breast cancer incidence in Korea would be explained by delayed age at first pregnancy or delivery, earlier age at menarche and last delivery, and decrease in brest feeding.
Breast Feeding ; Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Case-Control Studies* ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Hospitals, Teaching ; Humans ; Incidence ; Insurance ; Korea* ; Menarche ; Menstruation ; Pensions ; Pregnancy ; Seoul